Professional Practice

Adult: Asthma and Respiratory Disorders

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionreports that 1 in 12 America adults suffer from asthma. In 2008, this resulted in 14.2 million missed days of work that cost the U.S. $56 billion in health care costs and lost productivity.

A recent study found that a 2.5 million deaths worldwide can be attributed to pollution and poor air quality. Ozone contributed to the death of 470,000 people. Some 2.1 million deaths resulted from fine particulate matter in the air.How Nature Helps

While there is no cure for asthma, one of its main triggers is air pollution. Planting more trees is proven to lessen air pollution and improve air quality, which in turn contributes to healthier air, lungs, and residents.

Adding more trees to the built environment is critical in combating air pollution, and landscape architects did just that in projects like Bryant Park in New York City, which provides ample tree cover as well as cleaner, cooler air.

Large-scale naturalistic parks in cities, like Tanghe River Park in Qinhuangdao City, China, work hard to scrub the air of pollution created by cars and industry.

Landscape architects plant street trees throughout communities, expanding the urban forest which helps to both clean and cool the air we breath.